Current Status: Operation

Source: RPCL
Gazipur 52 MW Dual Fuel Power Plant, also known as RPCL Gazipur Power Plant, is a reciprocating engine-based power plant situated in Gazipur Sadar Upazila in Gazipur District of Bangladesh (Coordinate: 23.9933, 90.3435). It is sponsored by Rural Power Company Limited (RPCL), a State-owned Enterprise (SOE) under the Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB), as a Public Power Plant (PPP) for 20 years. RPCL declared its Commercial Operation Date (COD) on 12 July 2012 and according to the schedule, it is to retire on 11 July 2032.
Capacity
The installed and net capacity of the Gazipur Dual Fuel Power Plant is 53.54 MW and 52 MW, respectively.
Context
On June 27, 2012, Rural Power Company Ltd. (RPCL) and the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for the establishment of a 52 MW Duel Fuel Power Station. The PPA was later updated on September 24, 2013 (RPCL, 2015). The estimated cost of the project amounted to 385 crores which was provided by Rural Power Company Ltd. and Prime Bank Ltd., reflecting a collaborative approach involving both public and private entities (RPCL, 2019).
Meanwhile, an Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contract was signed with Concord Pragatee Consortium Ltd (CPCL) on 24 August 2010 which was issued on 23 September 2012, after 2 years of the contract signing (CPCL, 2012). Then, the project officially began on March 23, 2011. The Commercial Operation Date (COD) of the power plant was 12 July 2012 (RPCL, 2019). Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) have a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement with the Gazipur 52 MW Power Plant for consistent supply of power to the grid.
Land Acquisition
The RPCL Gazipur power plant occupies 3.15 acres (Google Earth) of the complex's total 60 acres, which also includes one 132/33 kV substation and three power plants.
Finance
The estimated cost of the project is BDT 3060.66 million (Euro USD 35.75 million) (CPCL, 2022) which was financed by Rural Power Company Ltd. and Prime Bank Ltd (RPCL, 2019).
Sponsor
Rural Power Company Limited (RPCL), a State-owned Enterprise (SOE) under the Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB), sponsored it as a Public Power Plant (PPP).
Contractors
Concord-Pragatee Consortium Limited (CPCL) was appointed as an Engineering, Procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor.
Fuel Supply
Bangladesh Petroleum Company (BPC) supplies fuel for the power plant as per the contract. The power plant uses Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) as the primary fuel and Domestic Fossil Gas (DFG) as the secondary fuel. In FY 2022- 2023, a total of 231.59 tonnes of HFO was required annually to run the power plant at 50.8% plant load factor (PLF) (BPDB, 2023).
Power Generation
The scheduled Commercial Operation Date (COD) of the power plant was 30 November 2011 (BPDB 2010). The Power Plant, powered by six reliable W20V32GD engines manufactured by Wärtsilä Corporation, Finland, generates 52 MW of electricity (RPCL, 2015). Each of the V-type engines generates 8924 kW, contributing significantly to the region's energy infrastructure. The power plant generated 231,585,768 kWh at 50.8% PLF in FY 2022–2023 (BPDB, 2023).
Environment
According to Section 12 of the Bangladesh Environment Protection Act 1995, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is obligatory for any industry (MOLJPA 1995). Polluting industries, such as power plants, must undergo an Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) and EIA as directed in the Environmental Conservation Rules 2017 (MOEFCC 1997). But, to date, no IEE or EIA report has been conducted for the power plant. Besides, HFO power plants often require water for cooling purposes. Discharge of heated water back into water bodies can disrupt aquatic ecosystems and harm marine life. Additionally, leaks or spills of HFO can contaminate water sources, leading to pollution and ecosystem damage.
References
BPDB (2010). “Annual Report 2009-2010”. Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB): 1 August 2010
BPDB (2023). “Daily Generation Data Sheet”. Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB): Accessed on 21 November 2023
CPCL (2022). “Our Projects-Power Projects”. Concord-Pragatee Consortium Limited (CPCL): Accessed on 18 June 2022
CPCL (2022). “Provisional Acceptance Certificate (PAC)”. Concord Pragatee Consortium Ltd (CPCL): Issued on 23 September 2012.
MOEFCC (1997). “The Environmental Conservation Rules. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEFCC)”: 27 August 1997
MOLJPA (1995). “Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act 1995. Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division, Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs (MOLJPA)”: 16 February 1995.
RPCL (2015). "Annual Report, 2015 - 2016". Rural Power Company Limited (RPCL): 2015
RPCL (2019). “The Gazipur 52 MW Dual Fuel Power Plant”. Rural Power Company Limited (RPCL): Accessed on 21 August 2019.